Antonio Conte’s preparing for life at Stamford Bridge (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea are so keen for Antonio Conte to hit the ground running in the Premier League that they have reportedly been paying for his English lessons since January.

The Italian is set to take over at Stamford Bridge this summer from interim boss Guus Hiddink.

The former Juventus man won three back-to-back Serie A titles with the Old Lady from 2011 to 2014 and he’s the current head coach of Italy heading into Euro 2016.

The Blues are desperate to avoid the slow start that they endured at the start of this season under Conte next term and, according to the Daily Star, the club have been paying for the Italian’s English lessons to since January to ensure that he gets down to business straight away.